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罗马书［第13章］
Book of Romans 13

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罗马书［第13章|Book of Romans 13

【活出称义生命的三大特质】

主讲: 区箴唤实习传道 + 陈炎明牧师

14/12/2021

引言:

罗马书一直讲到‘因信称义’，而在这个称义的生命里面，当我们认识到神圣洁的属性，其实我们很自然地就会活出一个与我们所蒙的恩相称的生命！从上一章开始，我们就看到神的话提醒我们要做活祭，而且保罗也列举出了一些基督徒该有的生命素质，来让我们对照自己的生命。进入今天这一章经文，保罗更是特别提出我们基督徒活出称义生命会有的三大特质。

一、顺服掌权者(V1-7)

1. 顺服(V1-5)

所有掌权者都是在神的许可下，而被授予权柄的，所以人人都应该去顺服。就是说好的权柄也好，坏的权柄也好，都是在神允许的前提下才得着这个权柄的。所以如果我们抗拒权柄，原来就是抗拒神。

人常会有属灵孤儿的心态，不喜欢权柄，不喜欢人来管。但有权柄是好的，权柄会来对着我们的生命来负责。不是说我们地上的权柄就100%都对，但是他们可以做我们的遮盖和监督。沟通也很重要，我们可以表达自己，而沟通后我们应当顺服听从，因为权柄他们需要负起责任！如果我们不听，权柄者也是有权去处罚我们的。很常我们人也会惧怕权柄，因为我们担心我们有做错的地方。但是如果说我们没有故意不听，可能只是理解上的问题，而导致有一些误差，这时候我们就不需要去惧怕。我们需要的是有好的态度，学习怎样与权柄者沟通，并去理解。

从V3我们特别看到保罗跟当时罗马基督徒特别谈到要顺服的是政府的官员，他们当时就是按着法律来治理整个的国家的。所有他们就有权柄去刑罚那些不顺服政府权柄而违法的人，同时也要为那些因着违法之人而受到冤屈的受害者去伸冤！所以保罗就提醒罗马教会的基督徒，要因着一份认识神而有的良心去顺服权柄者，而不要因为权柄者有刑罚人的权柄才去顺服他们。

如果是正直公义的权柄，当然我们人顺服起来就是很容易的。可是，如果我们了解当时《罗马书》的社会背景，就知道其实当时的基督徒是受罗马政府逼迫得很严重的。不过保罗仍然对着罗马的基督徒讲出要顺服政府权柄的真理，为的就是鼓励基督徒要活出与称义生命相配的好见证。基督徒都要在不违反真理的前提下，去顺服我们在上的权柄者。

2.敬奉(V6-7)

当时保罗在写这段经文的背景，罗马政府是以一种暴政的形式来管理国家的，并且他们对基督徒的压迫也是非常地大。但是保罗仍透过真理去教导罗马的基督徒，属于政府的税是我们要交的，政府的规定我们是要守的，政府的官员哪怕不是基督徒，也是要我们带着尊敬和尊荣的心态去对待他们的。

二、爱人不亏欠 (V8-10)

保罗给出我们一些指标去明白怎样才是爱人。

1）凡事都不可亏欠人，就是说我们不要去损害别人，伤害别人，去占别人的便宜；若是我们真的有欠人家什么东西，我们也不要拖延去偿还，而是要快快地补偿回来。2）‘彼此相爱’是为着彼此去考虑，去寻求彼此最大的益处。3）要常以为亏欠。当我们的生命如果真的是有谦卑，我们很容易就会觉得我们做得还不够，其实就是这里的‘常以为亏欠’，然后我们就会愿意摆上更多去爱人。

旧约律法中列举出来了很多的规条来帮助我们在待人接物的层面上去活出神的心意，但是总的来说都概括在‘爱人如己’这句话的里面了。

三、活在光明中 (V11-14)

保罗说现在是我们要趁早醒来的时候，因为现在我们比刚刚初信的时候离得主救赎的日子更近了。所以我们活着每一天，其实我们属灵的生命都是需要去长进的。而醒来，对应的就是沉睡。沉睡是灵里面的骄傲和自满。当我们在我们的灵性上骄傲和自满，其实我们对属神的事物就不会有所追求了。

黑夜很快就会过去，指的就是现今邪恶的时代很快就会过去，而白昼将近，就是指基督很快就要回来了。那么我们就要脱去那些没有活在光明中的、黑暗的行为，反过来我们要带上光明的兵器，其实指的就是要穿上神所赐的全副军装。

当我们穿戴起神所赐的全副军装，行事为人就要光明正直，而不要去放纵自己的肉体，让自己放纵在宴乐醉酒还有好色邪荡的里面。所谓好色邪荡，特别就是那些滥交，并且不负责任的性的行为。

要活在光明中，保罗继续让基督徒看到，不可争竞嫉妒。就是说我们不只是要外在活得光明正直，就是连我们里面的心思意念，也常常要来靠神得洁净，里里外外都是光明的。

简而言之，活在光明中，我们就是要披戴基督，所以我们行事为人基督都跟我们在一起。当我们真的从灵里面有这一份的认识，那么我们就不会去为我们的肉体安排许多满足我们私欲，放纵我们私欲的东西了。

总结：

我们被神称义，永远不是靠着我们的行为所赚取来的。然而当我们领受到了这个身份，我们要回应神，活出称义生命的三大特质。

第一、在真理中顺服在上的掌权者，无论他是好是坏，其实他都是神所设立的，并且神也会向每一个权柄者去追讨他该付的责任，所以我们无论如何都当竭力去活出一个顺服的生命！第二、我们要爱人、不亏欠人，因为爱就已经完全了一切的律法。第三、我们要活在光明中，不再放纵肉体、放纵私欲！

Romans 13: The Three Characteristics of Living a Righteous Life
GK611 Morning Devotion
14/12/2021
Speaker: IP Moses + Rev. Tan

Introduction:

Romans keeps talking about 'justification by faith' and within this justified life, when we recognize the attributes of God's holiness, it is actually quite natural for us to live a life worthy of the grace we have been given! From the previous chapter, we saw that God's word reminds us to be a living sacrifice, and that Paul listed some qualities of life that Christians should have to compare our lives to our own. As we move into today's chapter, Paul makes a point of identifying three main qualities that we as Christians will have in order to live a justified life.

1. Submit to the Authorities (V1-7)

(1) Submission (V1-5)

All those who are in authority are given authority with God's permission, so everyone should obey. That is to say, whether it is good authority or bad authority, the authority is given only with God's permission. Therefore, if we resist authority, we are resisting God.

All those who are in authority are given authority with God's permission, so everyone should obey. That is to say, whether it is good authority or bad authority, the authority is given only with God's permission. Therefore, if we resist authority, we are resisting God.

People often have the mentality of spiritual orphans who don't like authority and don't like to be governed by people. But it is good to have authority, and authority will come to be responsible for our lives. Not that our earthly authorities are 100% right, but they can be our covering and supervise. Communication is also important, we can express ourselves, and after communication we should obey and listen, because the authorities need to be held accountable! If we do not listen, the authority has the right to punish us. Often we are afraid of the authority because we fear that we have done something wrong. But if we don't deliberately disobey, we may just have a problem with our understanding, which leads to some errors, and then we don't need to be afraid. What we need is to have a good attitude, learn how to communicate with the authority, and understand.

From v3 we see that Paul spoke especially to the Roman Christians of that time about obedience to the officials of the government, who were governing the whole nation according to the law. So they had the authority to punish those who disobeyed the authority of the government and broke the law, and to seek justice for the victims who were wronged by those who broke the law! Therefore, Paul reminded the Christians of the church in Rome to obey the authorities with a conscience based on the knowledge of God, and not to obey them just because they have the authority to punish people.

If it were a righteous and just authority, of course it would be easy for us to obey. However, if we understand the social context of the book of Romans at that time, we know that Christians at that time were in fact being severely persecuted by the Roman government. But Paul still spoke the truth to the Christians in Rome about submitting to the authority of the government, in order to encourage Christians to live a good testimony that is worthy of a justified life. Christians are to submit to our authorities without violating the truth.

(2) Respect and Honor (V6-7)

At the time Paul was writing this passage, the Roman government was running the country as a tyranny, and their oppression of the Christians was very great. But Paul still taught the Christians in Rome through the truth that the taxes belonging to the government are ours to pay, the rules of the government are ours to keep, and the government officials, even if they were not Christians, were to be treated with respect and honor.

2. Love and does not owe (V8-10)

Paul gives us some indicators to understand what it means to love someone. 1) Owe no one anything except to love one another, which means we should not harm others, hurt them, or take advantage of them; and if we really owe them something, we should not delay to pay it back, but make up for it quickly. 2) to love one another,To think about each other and to seek the greatest benefits for each other. 3) To Always think that you owe. When there is true humility in our lives, we can easily feel that we have not done enough, which is actually the 'always think we owe' here, and then we will be willing to put up more to love people.

The Old Testament Law lists many rules to help us live God's heart in our dealings with others, but in general they are summed up in the phrase 'love your neighbor as yourself'.

3. Living in the Light (V11-14)

Paul says that now is the time for us to wake up before it is too late, because now we are closer to the day of the Lord's salvation than when we were first believers. So every day we live, in fact, our spiritual life needs to grow. And waking up corresponds to sleeping. Slumber is pride and complacency in the spirit. When we are proud and complacent in our spirituality, we actually do not pursue the things of God.

The night will soon be over, meaning that the present evil age will soon be over, and the day is near, meaning that Christ will soon return. Then we are to put off the works of darkness, which do not live in the light, and in turn we are to put on the armor of light, which actually means to put on the full armor of God.

When we put on the full armor of God, we should act with integrity and not indulge our flesh in feasting, drunkenness, and lustful debauchery. By lust and debauchery, I mean especially those who have promiscuous and irresponsible sexual behavior.

To live in the light, Paul goes on to show Christians not to compete and jealous. That is, we are not only to live outwardly in light and righteousness, but even our inward mind and heart must always come to be cleansed by God and be bright inside and out.

In short, to live in the light is to put on Christ, so that we act and behave as if Christ were with us. When we really have this knowledge in our spirit, then we will not arrange many things for our flesh to satisfy our selfish desires and indulge our selfish desires.

Conclusion:

Our justification by God is never earned by our works. Yet when we have received this status, we are to respond to God by living out the three characteristics of a justified life.

First, obeying the ruler in the truth, whether he is good or bad, he is in fact established by God, and God will recover his responsibility from every ruler, so we should try to live an obedient life no matter what! Secondly, we are to love people and not to owe them anything, for love has fulfilled all the law. Thirdly, we are to live in the light, and not to indulge in the flesh or in selfish desires!